Microwave ovens provide a quick and convenient means of cooking or heating food in a short interval of time. For this reason, they have become popular among people who do not have time to cook by conventional means. However, in a typical microwave oven, a large percentage of the moisture originally contained in the food is lost to the surrounding atmosphere. The forced circulation of air through and away from the heating chamber of the oven, compounded by the relatively large volume of the heating chamber compared to the volume of the heated food causes this.
Sometimes, a chef or other person using a microwave oven might want more moisture retained in or more water added to what they are cooking. To accomplish this, they can cover a dish or food container during cooking or reheating. There are several ways of covering microwave dishes, and several products have been developed in an attempt to address this issue.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,927 to Levendusky, et al., describes a microwave oven cooking container with a bed or pad of absorbent material upon which a container is placed carrying the various food items to be heated or cooked. The absorbent material, designed to give off steam during cooking, also retains hot moisture after the cooking process. Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,748 to Parr, Jr., et al., discloses a paper cone or dome-shaped dish cover with horizontal rings of concave cavities to trap moisture. Gravity causes droplets running down the interior surface of the cover to catch in the cavities and re-vaporize. It is unclear how many uses this paper device would last before it would have to be disposed.
Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,878 to Strait, Jr., several ovenware apparatuses are disclosed. They are designed to prevent or reduce the escape of moisture or water vapor from food as it is cooked by circulating condensed moisture back into the food. These re-hydrating devices are large and bulky. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,551 to Kim, et al., discloses a large cooking vessel used in microwave ovens including a lower section containing water, a food supporting plate, and a lid that covers the lower body. The several parts of this apparatus make it structurally complicated.
A variety of common problems is associated with the aforementioned cooking vessels or apparatuses as well: One is that they become very hot during the cooking process, absorbing microwave and/or steam energy, and can therefore cause injury to the user. Many of them also allow condensed moisture to run back into the food dish, leading to soggy or waterlogged food.
The design of the present invention overcomes these shortcomings and provides an apparatus that efficiently retains and/or adds moisture to the food that is cooked or heated in a microwave or conventional oven. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a moisture-adding lid apparatus that can cover a food container, such as a plate, bowl, pan, etc., and form an enclosed cavity.
Another object of the invention is to provide a moisture-adding lid apparatus wherein the apparatus incorporates a handle that remains relatively cool during the cooking process so a person can lift the entire structure out of the microwave immediately after cooking without needing an oven mitt or other protective insulation. Another object of the invention is to provide a moisture-adding lid apparatus that collects moisture from condensation during the cooking process and keeps it from spilling on food and making it soggy, while allowing condensed moisture to re-vaporize and moisturize the food as it cooks.
Another object of the invention is to provide a moisture-adding lid apparatus to which liquids can be added before the cooking process to increase the moisture content of cooked foods. Still another object of the invention is to provide a moisture—adding lid apparatus that is easy to use, easy to clean, and easy to manufacture; that guards against food splatter during the operation of the microwave and reduces the time required to cook or heat food. These and other objects will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following description.